Entries in counterfeit 300 SL
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There’s an old saying that, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Tell that to the legal department at Mercedes-Benz. When German customs officials seized a replica 300 SL, Mercedes exercised its rights — upheld by German courts who said it is an infringement of Mercedes’ rights if third parties market a replica body, even if it does not contain any of the automaker’s logos or trademarks — and destroyed the body.

The 300 SL’s shape has been under copyright protection as a work of applied art since the 1950s. In addition, the body shape was trademarked by Daimler AG (Mercedes’ parent). The trademark was confirmed in a final and binding judgment on December 9, 2010, by a Stuttgart regional court in a case where a German company had built a replica of the Mercedes 300 SL.